New app helps on-time vaccination for kids

10 Dec 2018

Parents and carers in the Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District are encouraged to download the improved, free ‘Save the Date to Vaccinate’ app to ensure their children receive vaccinations on time.

With better functionality and new features, the app is a part of NSW Health’s annual campaign to remind parents and carers to get their children immunised from serious vaccine preventable diseases.

Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District Director of Public Health, Associate Professor Bradley Forssman said vaccination is the most effective way to protect children from serious diseases.

“Babies, particularly in their first six months, are susceptible to dangerous diseases. For their best defence, vaccination needs to happen on-time, in line with the NSW Immunisation Schedule,” Professor Forssman said.

“The ‘Save the Date to Vaccinate’ app helps parents and carers better manage their child’s vaccinations by generating a personalised immunisation schedule to ensure parents and carers are reminded of vaccinations their child needs.”

Professor Forssman strongly encourages parents and carers to proceed with planned vaccinations even if their child is feeling under the weather as delaying vaccinations even for a few weeks can put a child at risk of a life threatening disease.

“Over 95 per cent of children up to the age of five are recorded as fully vaccinated in the Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District. This is above the state average of 94.39 per cent.”

“For sustained control of vaccine preventable diseases, a childhood immunisation rate of 95 per cent is necessary,” Professor Forssman said.

Broad community support for childhood immunisation has continued to improve, with the childhood immunisation rate increasing from 91.4% in 2012 to 93.9% in 2017.

Protecting children from potentially deadly diseases is a key priority for the NSW Government, which has invested approximately $120 million in the 2018-19 Immunisation Program budget, including Commonwealth and state vaccines.